


The Doctor Is In

by flowerfan



Category: Glee
Genre: 5x20 reaction fic, Klaine, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-20
Updated: 2014-05-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 22:23:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1664684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfan/pseuds/flowerfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5x20 reaction fic - Artie discovers what it's like to have Klaine as a bestie once the rest of the gang are gone. (Title from Charlie Brown...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Doctor Is In

"So then Kurt got home and instead of arugula and watercress, he had bought romaine lettuce and Parmesan cheese. But I had already made a vinaigrette and we didn't have any Caesar dressing. It just threw off the whole vibe of the meal."

Artie ignored Blaine as he explained in excruciating detail why his dinner date with Kurt the night before hadn't gone the way he had planned. Luckily Blaine seemed to be able to keep playing video games with his usual skill while babbling on about Kurt, so the night wasn't a total loss.

"So do you think this means that Kurt doesn't want to stick to such a strict diet any more? Or did he forget what we planned? Or does it mean something else - did I do something wrong, so he's being passive aggressive and choosing a different salad as a way of indicating that he's unhappy with me?" Blaine's voice was getting higher as he got angry, which was in some ways preferable to the last time he was worried about something having to do with Kurt and wound up curled up under a blanket on the couch in a sad, whispery little ball.

"Maybe he just wanted some Caesar salad," Artie muttered. Did salad really need that much drama?

The next night Artie met Kurt at the diner. He had wanted to get some footage from the deep freezer for his new short film "Capers in Mysterious Places," but Kurt kept talking when he was trying to shoot. It was exasperating.

"Do you know how long it took me to find a bow tie that coordinated with that precise shade of teal he was wearing? But no, Blaine didn't want to wear a bow tie today. 'It's summertime, Kurt, and it's so warm in that rehearsal room, I thought I'd just go with a polo today.' Fine, but that doesn't mean you abandon all sense of style. And the least he could have done was told me he didn't want to wear one before I spent all that time choosing the bow tie."

Artie sighed. He was never going to get this done. Then remembered a trick Santana had taught him. "Hey, Kurt, is that Liza Minnelli out there in front of the diner? I think she’s signing autographs. Wait, no, she's walking away!"

As Kurt ran out the door to look for Liza, Artie quickly turned on his camera and prayed to get the shot in one take. There had to be something he could do about this situation. Liza spotting might work once or twice, but he needed a long game. And these boys needed someone to vent at besides one Artie Abrams, or this particular scene was going to be cut.

As the next Monday night approached Artie insisted that Kurt and Blaine come to his place. "You want us to have Monday night dinner in your dorm room?" Kurt asked, about as impressed as he'd been to be served sparkling cider in a red solo cup. 

"Sure. Trust me, it'll be fun." Artie didn't miss the way Blaine raised his eyebrows at Kurt before politely agreeing, but he didn't care. All he needed was for them to show up.

Artie spent that weekend roaming the halls and common rooms of his building. After careful study, and a number of conversations mentioning free sushi and sake, he thought he was in pretty good shape. Monday night rolled around, and he was ready for show time.

"Hey, Artie," Blaine said hesitantly as he and Kurt came in to his room. "We didn't realize you were having other guests." 

"Yeah, we only brought enough cheesecake for three. Or maybe four," Kurt commented dryly. 

"No problem dudes, we've got plenty of grub," Artie reassured them. "Now, let me introduce you to everyone." 

By the time the sake had been poured and the sushi sampled, Artie thought things were going pretty well. Kurt was deep in conversation with a petite girl with long dark hair, and Blaine was laughing at the shirtless blond guy's comments while trying not to ogle his abs. The spunky Asian girl from Artie's summer workshop was chatting up the guy with the Mohawk, and the tall Asian dancer was working up a routine with the skinny blond chick. There were a few other people clustered around the food, but Artis couldn't remember their names - he figured they must be new.

Later that night, when the other guests had left and Kurt and Blaine were helping Artie clean up the remnants of their dinner party, Artie couldn't help feel proud of himself. He had done his part to expand their social circle, and now perhaps the pressure on him would ease up.

Blaine gave Kurt a peck on the cheek as he left to get rid of the garbage, and came to sit by Artie. "We've been kind of too much lately, haven't we," Blaine said apologetically.

Artie shrugged. "I get it. Your besties are gone, and I'm the next best thing. It's just hard being the only one to, you know..." he trailed off.

"Deal with all our crap?" Kurt asked, returning to the room. "We're sorry, we really are. You're a saint for putting up with us for this long."

"And you're not the next best thing. You're our friend, and while we've been taking advantage of your willing ear, it's been cool to have this time to spend with you," Blaine said, his eyes wide and appealing. "I promise I'll try to cut down on the relationship therapy talk."

"Me too," Kurt said, sitting down next to Blaine, effortlessly melding against his side. Artie couldn't help but notice how happy they seemed together, how relaxed and comfortable they were, even as Kurt kept talking. "It's not fair to put all this on you, just because everyone else has flown the coop."

Artie sighed. "I don't know, guys, it could be it's just a burden I have to shoulder. I mean, things are really good between you two, aren't they?" Blaine turned to nuzzle into Kurt's neck in response, an adorable little blush on his cheeks, and Kurt nodded. "Maybe I'm actually awesome at this. And I'd never hear the end of it from everyone else if Klaine fell apart on my watch."

Blaine laughed and put an arm around Artie, his other already around Kurt. "True enough. And thank you, Artie. You did a thoughtful thing for us tonight, inviting your friends to dinner."

"I agree,” said Kurt. “As much as I generally don't like to mess with Monday night dinner, I had a good time. It was nice to see some new faces." Kurt looked back and forth between Artie and Blaine, a quizzical look coming over his face. "Although talking to them, I had the weirdest feeling of déjà vu…."


End file.
